Manicure Monday: Beach Bum Blu

This past week in the bay area, the rain was consecutive and I loved every moment of it. I finally was able to exchange my strappy heels in my wardrobe for some leather booties and rainboots. Even though it has been a while since we have seen rain the bay area and the rain can be a little bit frenetic, it is nice to finally get some much needed rain.

A little part of me misses the warm, summer days and nights. Hence, I wanted to reflect a little bit of summer just for today’s Manicure Monday. Featuring Essie’s Beach Bum Blu, the blue pearl color gleams under the light and is a very beautiful color to have in your nail polish collection. I have been wearing Beach Bum Blu on my nails for a few days, and so far it has been chip resistant. Like my last Manicure Monday featuring Essie’s Bahama Mama, Beach Bum Blu will need at least two thin coats as the color is very pigmented. If you want an extra pearlescent color and vibe, three thin coats should do the trick. As always, don’t forget that top coat to lock in Beach Bum Blu.

In today’s Manicure Monday, I wanted to also share and feature what I am currently reading, my go to perfume and two lip colors that I have been loving this month. I know I am late to the literary bandwagon, but I finally picked up “Gone Girl” by Gillian Flynn. Although I am still reading through “Gone Girl,” I am encapsulated in the suspense and I can’t wait to see what unravels between Amy and Nick’s rocky relationship and what more can comes out of Amy’s disappearance. Have any of you read “Gone Girl”? Let me know your comments about it below - no spoilers please!

If you are curious of what perfume I have been using lately, you are in luck. My go to perfume has been Philosophy’s Love Sweet Love, a sweet, fruity and flirty smell. Love Sweet Love is not too overpowering, as it has the right amount of citrus scents and romantic notes. Overall, Love Sweet Love is a light scent that you can reapply after a few hours without worrying it is too heavy or will bother the individuals in your surroundings.

Lastly, the two lip colors I have been enjoying is YSL’s Papaye Gelée and Buxom’s Dolly. YSL’s Papaye Gelée is a light, glossy balm in a form of a lipstick. When I wear YSL’s Papaye Gelée, there is no color added to my lips, which I do not mind. Sometimes I prefer to wear a no color balm on my lips as it is important to keep your lips moisturized, especially during the colder seasons. In the case of YSL’s Papaye Gelée, it wears and shines similar to a lip gloss without the feel of a lip gloss. As an added bonus, Papaye Gelée even smells like a papaya.

If you aren’t feeling a balm and want a lip gloss, I would recommend Buxom’s Dolly, a mauve colored lip gloss. The sheer color is very pleasing against one’s lips and even has lip plumping properties. I normally don’t skew towards lip glosses that have lip plumping properties, however since Buxom’s Dolly came in Sephora’s “Give Me Some Lip” sampler, I wanted to give it a shot and ended up liking the product. Dolly is gentle in terms of the lip plumping process, and is not irritating. Overall, Dolly gives you a pretty mauve color and a mini, temporary lift to your lips.

Links for all of the items I have listed above will be provided below. Come back tomorrow for another look on the Crystal Avenue.